2019 Tour de Rock riders will get their first taste of this year's event with a mock tour on Saturday Aug. 17. (File Photo/NanaimoNewsNOW)

By Alex Rawnsley

PRACTICE RUN

Tour de Rock mock ride provides glimpse into the future

Aug 16, 2019 | 4:05 AM

NANAIMO — Riders and crew will get their first taste of the 2019 Tour de Rock this weekend.

The mock tour leaving Nanaimo on Saturday, Aug. 17 allows new riders and crew to familiarize themselves with the procedures and pomp surrounding the group during a 13 day, 1,000 kilometre trek down Vancouver Island.

Former rider and 2019 crew member Allison Roberts told NanaimoNewsNOW, the mock tour is as close as riders get before the event starts for real.

“It’s the first time the riders get that sense of having the motorcycles in front, the intersections cleared and the support cars trailing behind.” _{Allison Roberts}

Roberts rode the Tour last year.

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“The experience of the mock tour was the first time feeling that ‘whoa, this is real!’ The lights are on, people are out cheering (and) it really clarifies the fact that the event is actually is happening.”

Riders will stop in Ladysmith, Chemainus and Duncan before returning to Nanaimo around 6 p.m.

They’ll visit long time sponsors and supporters of the race who can give riders a final boost ahead of September’s ride.

“They’ve been training since March. The fundraising ramps up in the summer so they’ve been really busy and a lot of them by the middle of summer they feel drained of energy,” Roberts said.

The 2019 Tour de Rock begins in Port Alice on Sept. 22 and travels through most major communities en route to Nanaimo on Sept. 29 and 30.

The ride wraps in Victoria on Oct. 4.

While riders will briefly disrupt traffic on Saturday, Roberts looked at the positives outweighing any negatives.

“The fundraising from the tour impacts so many Vancouver Island families, we hope everybody can get to the heart of why it’s being done and realize it’s a great thing for Vancouver Island.”

Since 1998, Tour de Rock has raised over $25 million for pediatric cancer research and support programs.

The schedule for Saturday Aug. 17’s Tour de Rock Mock Tour, featuring stops in Nanaimo, Ladysmith, Chemainus and Duncan. (Tour de Rock)

alex.rawnsley@jpbg.ca

On Twitter: @alexrawnsley